Sweeping Rivers or Windy Plains?
by In The Forest
Summary: Kinkpaw has been a Drypaw all her life. She always dreamed of grassy plains and racing through the open space. But she has always been stuck underwater, always near drowning for a chance she will never have. Will she finally be able to run through meadows? Or will she drown in the shallow waters?


This is a challenge for HailClan called Decisions. This is my first one-shot that I- I won't tell you until the end. There is no real warnings for nothing to bad happens here.

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_Sticking my head up, I scented the meadows. Smelling a rabbit, I stayed downwind of it and waited for the right moment. Suddenly, the rabbit looked at my hiding spot, as if it spotted me, and started running. _You won't be getting away from me! _I thought with a yowl. Dashing across the meadow, with the wind slowly guiding me, almost as if I could fly, towards the hare trying to outrun me, I pounced in the air, literally flying on top of the rabbit. I got ready to make the killing blow. And then, I heard Darkpaw yowl at me to get up. Wait, get up? _

"Yes get up, you Drypaw!" Darkpaw, my oh-so nice denmate's, said to get me up. Just hearing his annoying voice made me want to fall asleep again, to run and feel the wind in my pelt… Yelping in pain, I glared at Darkpaw, who had his paw on my tail. Again. He removed his paw from my tail and forced me out of the apprentice den, slamming me into Shadestar, the leader of RiverClan, and more importantly, my father. Giving me a questioning look, he simply shrugged off the other apprentice's actions, as if it were merely a little rough-housing, and going to the clan's entrance, nodding to his deputy. I slinked behind him, thinking of how unfair he was sometimes. He never even told me my mom's name! We eventually stopped at where the river and land met.

"Swim." Was the only thing he said. The only thing he ever really says to me unless we were completely alone or when I was a kit. Jumping into the water, I practiced swimming in shallow water. Let's just say I almost drowned again and paid a visit to my old friend Acornwhisker, the medicine cat. Sighing, he fed me yarrow, allowing me to throw up the extra water. Behind Shadestar's back, Acornwhisker glared at him.

"I know he is just trying to look out for you Kinkpaw, but throwing you repeatedly into a stream will _not_ help you swim! It just uses my time, my herbs, and your time as well, Kinkpaw." He said angrily, tail lashing back and forth behind him. Truthfully, over half the time I wish Acornwhisker was my father. At least he _acted_ the part. Numbly nodding, I decided it would be now or never to ask my question.

"Acornwhisker, who exactly is my mother?" I asked, looking up to him with hopeful eyes, yearning for the answer. He then flinched, a reaction I wasn't expecting. What is he my father?

"Acornwhisker, is my mother alive?" I asked, hoping the simpler question would get a better answer. Acornwhisker had a thoughtful look on his face for a moment, and then started nodding.

"Yes, your mother is very much alive." He said with confidence. That got me thinking. I had my father's eyes, a dark green color, but father had a thick black pelt. My pelt stuck out and wouldn't smooth done for anything, and was a pale tabby. Only half listening to Acornwhisker, I made my way back to the apprentice's den, curled into a ball, and slept.

_Four leaders stood atop a tree. Shadestar of RiverClan, Smokestar of ThunderClan, Sparrowstar of ShadowClan, and Miststar of WindClan. Looking around, I saw I was the only one in front of them. They then slowly dispersed, I'm guessing to their own clans. Turning around, I started to follow Shadestar when a cat called my name. Turning around, I saw it was a brown tabby she-cat, looking to be the same age as me. _Hollowpaw_, the trees seemed to whisper to me. I guess that was her name. _

_"Where are you going, you silly rabbit! WindClan is going this way! What do you think you are, RiverClan?" the she-cat said good naturedly. I was going to open my mouth to say I was RiverClan, when my body moved forward, towards WindClan camp. Hollowpaw murmured a fast 'Race ya!' and bolted of to where my other clanmates are._

'Wait, what?'_ I thought as I ran to catch up to her. _'Since when were they my clanmates?' _I then halted everything when my body stopped in front of Miststar. Looking to her, I noticed our pelts were almost alike, her's albeit even a paler tabby. Her crystal blue eyes looked down at me with a spark of mother's love. _

_"Let's go home, my kit. Home to where the plains are open and the air is breathable." Miststar murmured softly to me. _

Shooting up from my dream, I scented scents that weren't RiverClan. Popping my head out of the den, I realized we were being ambushed.

"Shadestar! Give me back my kit!" Miststar hissed angrily, expertly clawing at him from different angles.

"You know she is just as much as mine as yours, Miststar!" Shadestar hissed, dodging with very few scratches. I couldn't take it anymore. I ran up between the two leaders.

"STOP!" I yowled as loud as I could. Amazingly, every cat stopped and looked at me. Miststar eyes softened and Shadestar's hardened.

"Go back to the apprentice's den _now_ Kinkpaw." He hissed.

"No! Not until I get to talk to my mom, _dad_!" I hissed angrily, turning my back to him, and facing Miststar's way. "Of course, if she will want to talk to me."

"Oh, my precious kit!" Miststar purred with happiness, licking me all over, completely embarrassing me in front of the two warring clans. They then made two speeches about why I should stay in either of their clans, but I blocked them out, having already decided.

"…Can I go to WindClan, mom? The only thing they ever had here for me that wasn't harsh to me was Acornwhisker. So please?" I begged. Miststar nodded, turning around to take me back to WindClan. Father wouldn't have it, though. Claws unsheathed, he slammed his paw into my ribs and towards mom. Then, everything blacked out.

Time Skip

I woke up with the same she-cat from my dream looming over me. Not knowing what to say, I just stared at her, wondering if I saw her at a gathering and I subconsciously remembered it.

"Hi! My name is Hollowpaw! You are so awesome, you know that right?" Hollowpaw said all at once, and soon started rambling about how great my choice was and how I stuck up to my father. Smiling inwardly, I got up shakily and padded out of the den. Smelling the fresh air, I looked toward Miststar, my mother and now leader, with a happiness in my eyes that was indescribable.

* * *

See? No one dead :3 Just an abused 'paw. Though, I may make Shadestar kill Acornwhisker or something along the lines sooner or later... The only warning is that there is tail and rib abuse.


End file.
